HD Deve Gowda and then IK Gujral are largely known as PMs who were unable to tame the ruckus of coalition politics between the years of 1996 and 1998. It eventually resulted in snap election in which most contesting parties fancied themselves as winners.

Lok Sabha election of 1996 was a three-way contest between Congress, BJP and several regional powers which had come together to project a third alternative. The highest number of candidates ever competed in these elections.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) is all geared up for Saturday's "united opposition rally", which party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said would sound the "death knell" for the BJP in the coming Lok Sabha polls. Leaders of over 20 opposition parties are expected to attend the rally at the iconic Brigade Parade Ground.

JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda on Sunday hit out at Congress leaders for levelling regional bias charge against his son and chief minister HD Kumaraswamy over the budget and said he would ask him to table a white paper in the assembly on allocations made to different regions since 1956.